Thursday, December 30, 2010

Adoption News Links

Some interesting stories out there this week:

Adopted woman limited by law in search for biological family, about a woman's search for her birth mom made more difficult by closed records.

Stricter norms for domestic, international adoption, from the Times of India:
NEW DELHI: The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has moved to tighten adoption norms, proposing stringent monitoring of international and domestic adoptions, including a thorough scrutiny of the sourcing of each child placed for adoption.
Teen dad in uphill battle against adoption, highlighting problems faced by unwed fathers wanting to parent their children when the mothers want to place the children for adoption.

Blessed with a tiny gift: Johnson City couple rescue one child from famine and poverty in Ethiopia, about what you'd expect from that headline (blech!).

Jane Aronson, the 'orphan doctor' with a foundation that helps kids globally, a profile of Dr. Aronson.

Quake opens gate to adoptions, about Haitian adoptions post-earthquake.

Couple's battle with UK's tough adoption laws; the actual headline complains about UK not allowing transracial adoption (?), but the really amazing thing about the article are the over-the-top complaints about the homestudy process:
Next, the pair had to submit to a Home Study. A 50-page questionnaire filled in by social workers on visits to prospective parents, the form assesses a couple's suitability to adopt. [the HORROR!]

* * *

Francesca was instantly struck by how intrusive and surreal the questions were.

* * *

"The most intrusive questions were about our sex life. They wanted to know how good and regular our lovemaking was and whether I was happy with it.

* * *

As part of the Home Study, Francesca and Rick had to install child gates and raise the medicine cabinet for a baby they might never get. [SHOCKING!]
Local couple turns to billboard to help adoption process, seeking to reach potential birth mothers via billboard.

3 comments:

DannieA said...

the complaints about the homestudy were priceless.

I still giggle about my homestudy questions when my sw asked if I had men over to spend the night regularly (I'm single)...

I actually enjoyed the homestudy process, but then again I find humor in almost anything.

The story about the teen dad is heartbreaking though.

Anonymous said...

Maybe they should try handing out their cards in maternity wards. Maybe they should put banners w/ their faces on high school football stadiums. Maybe they should leave postcards with their bios at any house where a pregnant woman lives.

It sounds like their desperation knows no boundaries.

Teen dad story-->sad.

Claudia said...

I read that story about the UK couple too, a few days ago. I live in the UK so I do have *some* sympathy with their complaints about the homestudy process here - it's a totally different beast from the US homestudy process, and not. fun. at. all. BUT - honestly, ugh. That article was awful. I've seen the same woman on TV, and we are talking very serious entitlement issues. Truly painful to read.